Teach entreprenurial skills in schools

 THE call by National Development Bank board chairman Moses Liu for a greater emphasis on teaching students to do business and practical skills certainly has merit.

Liu said there was a false impression that there were enough jobs in the country to cater for the burgeoning number of youth, school-leavers and young adults pouring into the communities from the education system.

He estimated that up to 80 per cent of grade 12 students are not able to get into universities on an annual basis, which added to the jobless rate. 

On an alarming note, even university graduates are not finding gainful employment because there are not enough jobs in the market to absorb everyone. 

Many are forced to learn by trial and error in jobs that do not suit their skill sets or simply unable to hold on to their jobs because of the demands placed on them which they were unprepared for. 

What Liu has suggested is something that should be a new priority for education planners and those who develop the curriculum that is used at the secondary school level (Grade 11-12) and even at the high school (Grade 9-10) levels.

The skills and knowledge that is focussed on are the ones that will enable an individual to start a business and earn money and be self-employed and self-reliant.

Those skills could include basic bookkeeping, paying company taxes, knowledge on computer software and their applications in small business, accessing small bu­siness loans, writing pro­posals, business plans, maintaining equipment, managing payroll systems, business correspondence, the laws that regulate small to medium-sized enterprises, marketing and sales theory and practice. 

The list is long and varied but the skills are invaluable and could mean the difference between be on the street and relying on others for sustenance or making a living.     

Liu said the National Development Bank had developed an initiative to minimise unemployment in youths by launching its Youth Enterprise Scheme to engage young adults and motivated people in micro-businesses so they can be self-employed.

The idea that Liu is pushing would not necessarily mean a shift from the core subjects that are taught in schools but it would require schools and education boards to appreciate the relevance of such a move.

Science, mathematics, language and the social sciences are the core areas that the education system focuses on teaching at the upper secondary level but the problem is all these skills and knowledge are learned with the end goal of getting to the next level where students are then able to specialise and/or branch into the many disciplines on offer at university or college.

It seems this modus operandi does little if nothing to prepare a student for life outside the confines of a school or institution if he or she is unable to graduate to that next level. 

There is a void left in terms of practical knowledge and experience needed for a young adult to be able to fend for themselves.

The reality on the street is that most unemployed survive on the sale of garden produce, buai, store goods and other items that can be hawked on the roadsides or at markets in the city and towns.

But would it not be advantageous for these vendors if they were equipped with the know-how on starting and building their businesses or efforts at enterprise.

It is evident that in this day and age the youth of PNG need as much help as they can get in order to navigate their way through life and be successful in their own right.

Despite the growing economy, that translation into jobs is not taking place and with a competitive job market that sees foreigners competing with locals for a limited number of opportunities, the need to be self-reliant is now more important than ever.

Trade, Commerce and Industry Minister Richard Maru has been championing this end since he came into office. He wants more Papua New Guineans to be business-minded and actively take part in nation-building and the growth of the economy. 

The education system should do its part.